What If
by Takari-Rose
Summary: What if Sai had never joined Team Seven? How would the story change? How would Konoha change? Slight NaruHina, ShikaTema, SasuSaku.


_Author's Note: This has been sitting on my hard drive for quite some time now, so I thought I should finally publish. I currently have no beta, so I apologize in advance for any grammar/spelling mistakes. I in no way own Naruto, it's characters, or storyline, it belongs to Kishimoto. I do however, own any OC's used in this story._

**_Prolouge_**

Turn back the ever ticking clock...and change a moment in time. And so our story starts...

* * *

Naruto rushed towards the girl standing non-nonchalantly on the roof. Her hand was reaching for her right shoulder, where a katana hilt stood out from her reddish blonde hair. A strong gust of wind blew the hair that covered her left eye away and the girl stared at the yellow-haired ninja with an expression of exasperation. This only made Naruto angrier. Who did this girl think he was? But the girl didn't react at all to his heightened killing intent. Instead she closed her eyes, and brought her hands together momentarily, forming the sign of the ram. "Goken Suru," she said, not at a shout, simply in normal, rather bored tone of voice. If possible, this angered Naruto even more. How could she simply stand there, looking so bored when another ninja was about to attack her? In an attempt that seemed less than half-hearted, the girl reached into her kunai pouch, quickly releasing five of the small knives, all of them aimed directly for Naruto.  
Naruto quickly dodged the throwing knives, releasing several of his own weapons in the process. The weapon headed directly towards the girl's head, but she simply bent over backwards, all of the sharp weapons crashing harmlessly into the wall behind her. She straighten her back, standing up straight against the wind, and made no movements. Naruto chuckled. How stupid could she be to not launch a counterattack. At that moment, Shikamaru's shadow raced past Naruto, looking to grab onto the girl. Naruto paused momentarily in his charge. There was no way someone like her to avoid the Nara clan's famed shadow jutsu. But the girl simply smiled, almost grinned, and leaped in the air. The shadow would have caught her, had she not been several feet above it. Shikamaru gritted his teeth together. What was this girl? She obviously was not incompetent as a ninja, and she clearly knew the jutsu's used in the leaf. Yet there was no sign of her allegiance to any village.  
The girl landed on the ground, several feet away from the capturing shadow. The grin on her face had not disappeared, and her hair was completely covering her eyes. Naruto figured there was no way that she could see his attack now. "Shikamaru, hold off!" the yellow-haired boy yelled, pulling a kunai out of his pouch. He didn't release it, only gripped it harder as he ran towards the mysterious girl. He turned and made a wide circle, so he could attack the girl from the back. The back was always the place a ninja couldn't see and more open for attacks than the front. Naruto gripped the kunai, a wicked grin spreading over his fox-like face. This girl would learn not to underestimate Naruto Uzumaki, shinobi of the village Hidden in the Leaves!  
Less then three feet separated Naruto and the girl now. He leapt forward, kunai in hand, ready to slice into the girl's unprotected back. Seconds seemed to turn into minutes, time moving ever so slowly as his weapon came closer and closer. Just as the kunai was about to dig into the girl's skin, a rush of wind blew past Naruto, and he found his kunai blocked by a shining katana. The blade was black as night, but she had blocked his kunai with the unsharpened edge, which was made of clean steel.  
Naruto looked up in shock, his kunai still pressed up against the blade. The girl's golden red hair was blowing back from her face with the wind, and she was smiling.  
"You think I wouldn't notice a squirt like you trying to sneak up on me?" she said calmly, as if she hadn't been engaged in a battle for the last several minutes. And at that moment, Naruto noticed her eyes were completely closed. Had they been like that the whole time? Naruto's eyes widened. This girl...had been fighting him, and Shikamaru, with her eyes shut tight. His fingers trembled, and he slowly drew the kunai back.  
"What...what are you?"  
"I'm nothin' special," she replied, smirking. Her eyes opened, to reveal grey-blue eyes, with a slight ring of gold around the pupil.  
"Surprised, are we?" The smirk grew larger as Naruto didn't respond.  
"Well, you should be even more surprised now." Naruto's eyes widened, as he found the black edge of her katana against his throat. His body shaking slightly, he turned his head the slightest amount, and saw that the girl was now behind him.  
'When...when did she move?' he thought wide eyed. It was like that day years ago, when Kakashi had challenged the new genin to the bell challenge. Naruto had found his own weapon ready to kill him, before he could have even moved. But that was years ago. He should be able to react at a similar speed now. But this girl...she had her sword at his throat before he had blinked. He glanced now quickly at the katana, looking for a way out of the lock. He noticed her gloved hands pressing the katana against his throat from the blunt side. Then, he noticed the Leaf symbol that covered the metal plating on her glove. This girl...was an ally?  
The girl seemed to have notice his glance at her gloves. "Didn't think I was Leaf, did ya?" she said, her eyes looking on with amusement.  
"Not all of us wear our allegiance in plain sight." she said. "You have to look closer, and observe more." Naruto found the katana removed from his throat, and he turned on his heels quickly, so that he was facing the girl.  
"What, is this turning into a lesson? You can't be much older than me!" he blurted out.  
"Indeed it is," she replied laughing. "Is not everyday a lesson?"  
Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but his words where lost on the wind, as he blinked dumbfoundedly. The girl wasn't there anymore. She has disappeared with the gust of wind.  
Shikamaru stepped up besides Naruto. "Why didn't you attack her again?" he questioned, peering at Naruto.  
"She wasn't an enemy...she was a Leaf ninja as well," he murmured, lifting his hand to this throat. He felt a drop of wetness. Lifting his hand to eye level, he saw a drop of bright red blood. That girl had managed to cut him-and her sword had been barely touching his throat.  
Shikamaru noted the blood. "Her katana was black, wasn't it?" he said. Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "It looked like it was made out of obsidian. The sharpest cutting material in the world. That's how she managed to cut you, without using hardly any pressure."  
Naruto nodded, not really listening to Shikamaru's analysis. He was still staring at the place where the girl had disappeared.  
Unknown to the two ninja, the girl was watching them silently from a nearby rooftop. She stood up from her crouched position, slipping her katana back into the sheath strapped across her back. Running her fingers through her hair, pushing it back into place, a smile grew across her tanned face.  
"Oh, tomorrow is going to be _fun."  
_ Quiet laughter filled the air. Naruto turned to Shikamaru, a puzzled expression on his face.  
"Did you hear that?"  
"What are you talking about?"  
The two ninja walked back in the direction they had come from, while the golden haired girl hopped across rooftops, eagerly awaiting tomorrow.

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Who is this mysterious girl? What role does she play? Find out in the next chapter!

_Author's Note: Please Review! This is my first multi-chapter story, and I would love some feedback :)_


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